Defintion of a Supercar?

Just_me · 01-20-2006, 12:49 PM

Answer:
Since I decided to form the Supercar Drivers Club, I have repeatedly been asked the same question. "What is a supercar?" At first I gave a rather simplistic reply, thinking that any bona fide vehicle capable of 150mph plus should qualify. How wrong can you be? The more I deliberated over the question, the more diverse the range of answers became.

The Motor Industry database suggests that over 150 different production models have achieved 150mph regardless of age. Do they all qualify as supercars? I think not. And what about that exclusive group of road going cars that top out at over 200mph? Maybe they can claim to be the only true current supercars and if so does that mean that a MkI or MkII E-Type was never a supercar because it could achieve little over 140mph? I'm sure of one thing; the real answer lies somewhere deep in the human psyche. Supercar status is almost as subjective as the emotion of love, in fact it is a similar combination of attraction, affection, respect and desire. Indeed owning and driving a supercar invokes many of man's basic instincts.

The term supercar is a modern buzzword but there is no doubt in my mind that such vehicles have existed since the early days of motoring. Witness the Bugatti Type 57C, built in the 30's it was every bit as much a supercar of it's era as the EB110 created some 60 years later. When the motor car first appeared at the end of the 19th Century, only the well to do could afford to own such a thing, but in time, the economies of mass production techniques brought car ownership within the reach of all but the very poorest. Yet, many affluent individuals still craved the fastest, the most exclusive and the most charismatic vehicles that money could buy and born out of that desire came the supercar.

And so it was then, in those early years, as it is today. There is no definitive answer to the question, "What is a supercar?", but if your heart beats a little faster and you feel a stirring in the old Marks and Spencer underwear department, the chances are you are either looking at a beautiful woman or a supercar!

Carbon · 01-20-2006, 02:48 PM

Supercar as a term has been so overused and misused that it has lost its meaning. I've even heard people using the term "hypercar" for things like say a Carrera GT because supercar just isn't enough anymore.

Giannis · 01-20-2006, 02:56 PM

Well, if i was asked to give the definition of a Supercar i would say: Supercar, is every car that is capable of achieving more that 280km/h of top speed in a respected time. Also, a supercar has to be a two door/two seater car with an incommon design, which originates from coupe style. Usually supercars, have more than 8 cylinders and 4.5 litres of engine displacement.

Your comments, or additions are more than welcome.

Carbon · 01-20-2006, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giannis

Well, if i was asked to give the definition of a Supercar i would say: Supercar, is every car that is capable of achieving more that 280km/h of top speed in a respected time. Also, a supercar has to be a two door/two seater car with an incommon design, which originates from coupe style. Usually supercars, have more than 8 cylinders and 4.5 litres of engine displacement.

Your comments, or additions are more than welcome.

Some of that is too restrictive as I'd say the Jaguar XJ220 was a supercar (It held the top speed record for a while) and yet has 6 cylinders and 3.5 liters displacement. These same things could be said of the Dauer 962 LM or Bugatti or Dauer EB110 (or SS) which are both supercars from my point of view. The Porsche 959 was certainly a supercar and doesn't conform to your definition either.

There are probably more examples if I took the time to look, but I think that whether or not something is a supercar should be determined on a case by case basis and may not have a concrete definition that is so easily found.

Alfie · 01-21-2006, 05:15 AM

For me a supercar is a car that pushes the technolical boundries to the limit. It has to be light, powerful, mid engine, perfect in every way and still be outrageus. If it isn't outrageus, it isn't a supercar!

01-20-2006, 12:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
Just_me Expert Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sweden Posts: 12,612 Thanks: 741 Thanked 2,035 Times in 1,028 Posts	Defintion of a Supercar? Answer: Since I decided to form the Supercar Drivers Club, I have repeatedly been asked the same question. "What is a supercar?" At first I gave a rather simplistic reply, thinking that any bona fide vehicle capable of 150mph plus should qualify. How wrong can you be? The more I deliberated over the question, the more diverse the range of answers became. The Motor Industry database suggests that over 150 different production models have achieved 150mph regardless of age. Do they all qualify as supercars? I think not. And what about that exclusive group of road going cars that top out at over 200mph? Maybe they can claim to be the only true current supercars and if so does that mean that a MkI or MkII E-Type was never a supercar because it could achieve little over 140mph? I'm sure of one thing; the real answer lies somewhere deep in the human psyche. Supercar status is almost as subjective as the emotion of love, in fact it is a similar combination of attraction, affection, respect and desire. Indeed owning and driving a supercar invokes many of man's basic instincts. The term supercar is a modern buzzword but there is no doubt in my mind that such vehicles have existed since the early days of motoring. Witness the Bugatti Type 57C, built in the 30's it was every bit as much a supercar of it's era as the EB110 created some 60 years later. When the motor car first appeared at the end of the 19th Century, only the well to do could afford to own such a thing, but in time, the economies of mass production techniques brought car ownership within the reach of all but the very poorest. Yet, many affluent individuals still craved the fastest, the most exclusive and the most charismatic vehicles that money could buy and born out of that desire came the supercar. And so it was then, in those early years, as it is today. There is no definitive answer to the question, "What is a supercar?", but if your heart beats a little faster and you feel a stirring in the old Marks and Spencer underwear department, the chances are you are either looking at a beautiful woman or a supercar!

01-20-2006, 02:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
Carbon Advocate Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 795 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Defintion of a Supercar? Supercar as a term has been so overused and misused that it has lost its meaning. I've even heard people using the term "hypercar" for things like say a Carrera GT because supercar just isn't enough anymore.

01-20-2006, 02:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Giannis Devotee Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Patra, Greece Posts: 3,487 Thanks: 139 Thanked 212 Times in 163 Posts	Re: Defintion of a Supercar? Well, if i was asked to give the definition of a Supercar i would say: Supercar, is every car that is capable of achieving more that 280km/h of top speed in a respected time. Also, a supercar has to be a two door/two seater car with an incommon design, which originates from coupe style. Usually supercars, have more than 8 cylinders and 4.5 litres of engine displacement. Your comments, or additions are more than welcome.

01-21-2006, 05:15 AM	#5 (permalink)
Alfie Aficionado Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: La Svezia! Posts: 4,824 My Mood: Thanks: 797 Thanked 823 Times in 506 Posts	Re: Defintion of a Supercar? For me a supercar is a car that pushes the technolical boundries to the limit. It has to be light, powerful, mid engine, perfect in every way and still be outrageus. If it isn't outrageus, it isn't a supercar!

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